Space to Inspire: Dr. Sian Proctor’s Path to the Stars

In this inspiring episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, host Richard Wiese sits down with Dr. Sian Proctor, an astronaut, artist, scientist, and the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft.

Dr. Proctor shares her incredible journey to space, from growing up in Guam, where her father worked at a NASA tracking station during the Apollo missions, to becoming a finalist for NASA’s astronaut program and ultimately flying aboard Inspiration4, the first all-civilian spaceflight. She discusses her passion for "JEDI space"—Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—and how she uses poetry and art to communicate the wonder of space exploration.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that the path to success is rarely a straight line—it’s about embracing the zigs and zags, persevering through setbacks, and inspiring future generations to reach for the stars.

This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.

This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.